This invention relates generally to the art of sports devices, and more particularly, to a mechanism which is for improving a club swing of a sports club, such as a golf club.
Several devices have been suggested in the past for use in helping to teach sportsmen proper body positions for swinging clubs, such as golf clubs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,960 to Gentilly describes a training device adapted to teach a golfer to keep his head down during swings and also to complete back and forward swings. In the device of this patent a whistle is strapped to the golfer's shoulder and is activated when the golfer's face comes in contact with the whistle, thus indicating that the golfer's head remained in the correct position during a back swing or a forward swing, depending on where it is located. U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,830 describes a body coordination training aid in which a sportsmen wears a head band having an audio generator and a head electrode attached thereto with shoulder electrodes mounted on the sportsman's shoulders. Contact between the shoulder electrodes and the head mounted electrode causes the audio generator to make a noise indicating to the sportsman that certain body positions have been reached. Problems with both of these teachings are not only that the devices are rather complicated in nature but that they cause sportsmen wearing them to unduly, visually, "stand out". Thus, it is an object of this invention, to provide a training aid which indicates to a sportsman when a proper body position has been achieved during a club swing which is uncomplicated in nature and which is not unduly noticeable by others.
Yet another difficulty with the above-described prior art suggestions is that these training devices are relatively time-consuming and difficult to use in that they are difficult to adjust to fit various body shapes and sizes. Further, it is difficult to adjust such devices for a golfer who, for example, wishes to make changes to his swing. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a club-swing body position device which allows easy adjustment thereof for various body shape and sizes and for modifications of club swings.
In the Gentilly patent, a contact area of the training device is relatively large, thus, it would be difficult to use this device for indicating to a golfer when his head and shoulder are in a particular relative position since anyone of a large number of positions would activate the device. Thus, it is another object of this invention to provide a sport club-swing marker assembly which, although it allows a sportsman to place it in a large variety of places, is relatively small so as to allows a golfer to finely tune the body positions of his swing.